Freedom. Few words evoke so much emotion as the word freedom. It’s a great word, it’s a word people are willing, and have, given their lives for. It’s the one word that describes why people travel from the four corners of the world to come to America. It’s the one word that America was founded upon. We value freedom; and rightly so.
Since the 1960s personal freedom has become a greater American value. Libertarians equate personalfreedom with personal sovereignty and liberty. Together, these are called personal autonomy. Many Americans believe personal autonomy trumps government-imposed sanctions against anything that doesn’t harm another person (as if one’s behavior has no effect on others). But personal autonomy is not new. In 1875, William Ernest Henley captured this value in the last two lines of Invictus. “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”[1] Many people, libertarian or not, hold personal autonomy as a core value. They want to be the master of their fate and the captain of their soul. Hence, personal autonomy is held as the primary value by which they live. But should personal autonomy guide how we live? Should freedom guide how we live? In fact, should any value guide our lives?
In the previous newsletter, I said that values are priorities. They are the things a person (or society) believes to be important. Values are important and are the reason for the way we choose to live, but they should not guide the way we live. Let me explain.
Values are derived from morals. Morals define what is right. Morals express what is right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral. Freedom is a value derived from the moral position that “all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable [absolute] Rights.”[2] Because we are all equal each of us has freedom, expressed as “Liberty” in the Declaration of Independence. Hence, it is this moral law—that all humans are equal—which guides us to live for freedom; not only personal freedom, but freedom for all. Hence, moral law should be our guide. So, freedom should not be our guide, but that “all Men are created equal.”
New Board Members
In January, the Strong Blue Line Foundation (SBLF) welcomed two new board members, Heidi Hogan and Dave Evans. Heidi lives in the Kansas City area where she is a wife of a law enforcement officer (LEO), mother of two, and nurse. Dave lives in the San Antonio area and is a husband, father, and retired LEO. Heidi and Dave are great assets and have already contributed to the board with great insight and wisdom.
In January, I mentioned that we’ve been working on a new project that will afford people the opportunity to support the Strong Blue Line Foundation (SBLF) and LEOs through prayer and a small monthly donation. Our goal is to have Phase 1 completed by the end of March. In the next newsletter, I’ll provide more details.
Bringing Hope to Law Enforcement
The SBLF—at no cost to officers or their agencies—brings hope to LEOs with training seminars that help them navigate a myriad of issues they deal with. One way we do this is by training chaplains. In the “Winning a Gunfight” seminar and book, officers learn how to win a gunfight tactically, mentally, and ethically—or body, soul, and spirit. As important as it is to survive a gunfight, winning is much more important. Winning means you come out of a gunfight as a victor. Winning is having a holistic victory. It goes beyond a tactical victory. It also means being victorious mentally and ethically. It’s complete victory—body, soul, and spirit. Please partner with us to make strong officers with strong relationships by giving them real hope for complete victory! To help, go to TheStrongBlueLine.org and click the “Donate” button.
On the Road
After nearly three months away from home, we plan to be back in Idaho Falls in early April. Only to hit the road again for a trip to Cheyenne, WY to promote the SBLF at the Christian Missionary and Alliance’s Rocky Mountain District’s bi-annual meeting. After a week back home, we’ll be off to Des Moines, IA for law enforcement chaplain training.
Pray for your police.
[1] Henley, William Ernest. Invictus, Public Domain
[2] The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
